Full Flower

Organized more than six decades ago, the Rio Lindo Garden Club continues to beautify and educate Port St Lucie. RIO LINDO GARDEN CLUB

Rio Lindo Garden Club is more than ladies who landscape

BY ELLEN GILLETTE

Rio Lindo Garden Club has seen many changes — in society, in fashion, in Port St. Lucie — but its mission has remained consistent. FORT PIERCE NEWS TRIBUNE

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens includes both undisturbed wetlands and managed areas that focus on specific plants, such as orchids and bromeliads. Located on the west side of Westmoreland Boulevard, just south of Port St. Lucie Boulevard, the gardens are open Tuesday through Sunday and run by volunteers: community members who give their time and expertise for the betterment of the gardens and, by extension, the city itself.

One of the gardens’ most enthusiastic support teams is Port St. Lucie’s oldest such group. Rio Lindo Garden Club of Port St. Lucie pre-dates the city’s incorporation, continuously educating and beautifying through a variety of projects — including the Rose Garden at the Botanical Gardens.

After the gardens were dedicated in 2009, Rio Lindo voted to help create and maintain the dedicated section, instituting monthly work days to keep the roses at their best. Joleen King is currently co-president of Rio Lindo: a member for 27 years who has served several terms. “We went through the hard prune on the roses in February. You take the roses down to 12 inches from the soil, and they come back.” Ongoing maintenance includes deadheading, weeding, fertilizing, mulching and pruning.